Adventure of Sinbad: Night 4
Badr is prostrate on his knees begging Darius to let Sinbad go. Darius sneers in response. As the villagers watch horrified and Esra cries helplessly, Badr begins to raise himself from the ground. He asks Darius to surrender without a fight. Darius cannot believe what Badr has requested of him. He demands Badr quit screwing around, but Badr explains himself. Because his family is labeled as expatriates, holding Sinbad hostage will not be effective. No one has a method of transportation to help him escape because they donated them all to the government, and the army is already on its way. He explains that if Darius cooperates and gives information to the Parthevians, his life will be spared. Darius smiles and says it is a good idea before taking back his words and calling Badr an expatriate. His sword trembles in his grip as he points out the audacity of asking such a thing from someone who is loyal to his country. He would rather give his life than betray his country, and that makes him nothing like Badr. He shoves the sword in Sinbad's mouth and criticizes Badr for his carefree lifestyle. It looks as though Darius will kill Sinbad, and Esra looks on horrified. Then, in one swift movement, Badr pries the sword away from his son and plunges another into Darius's chest. Badr tells Darius that while he doesn't mind being belittled, but if someone harms his family, he cannot let it go. Darius marvels at Badr's hidden strength as he bleeds out on the ground. Clinging to his father's robe in tears, Sinbad tells Darius that he really liked his stories. With his dying breath, Darius tells Sinbad to shut up. The army arrives afterward and collects Darius's body, apprehending Badr for providing him shelter. They torture him for days on end and ultimately send him to war as punishment. On the day of his deployment, the villagers point and glare. He hobbles out with his cane severely injured from the army's treatment of him. A soldier announces that they will be transporting him to the army's headquarters in Csitephon. When a guard shoves him, he topples over. The guards hassle him over not standing quickly enough, and a small child calls out to him. In the crowd, Esra and Sinbad are watching. Esra is in tears and Sinbad tries to put on a strong face. Behind him, the villagers begin to hurl insults, blaming Badr for what happened. Sinbad looks down, clutching his apron. Finally, he shouts in defense of his father. The villagers begin to verbally abuse him as well, calling him an expatriate. As they reach out to hurt him, Badr screams for them to stop. Supporting himself with his cane, he glares at them. He demands that no one hurt his family. Sinbad tearfully looks up at his father, who makes a stand. He limps toward them, tearing off his shawl to reveal a scarred and mangled body He claims that this is the result of war, the thing they've been so eager to support. Clenching his fist, he commands them to open their eyes, claiming that the money was all a ploy to win their approval. He reminds them of the casualties on the battlefield, and that their ability to even provide for themselves has been taken away due to the war. He then asks if they still think war is a good thing. This, he reveals, is the reason he has refused to participate in the war effort, even if it means being labeled an expatriate. He wants to protect his family. Sinbad stares at his father horrified, and as Badr asks the villagers what they have done to protect their families, they look away in shame. The guards begin to beat Badr for his criticism of the government. Sinbadbad can do nothing but cry. As he is taken away, Bader tells Sinbad he should fight like a man to protect those most important to him. Badr's last words to Sinbad are asking him to look after his mother. Esra sobs uncontrollably while the villagers look cowed. Sinbad stands resolute, determined to take his father's lesson to heart and understanding for the first time that his father is strong. He would never forget his father's smile. Within months, Badr's sword is returned in an empty wooden casket. Nine years later, Sinbad stands facing away, his hair billowing in the wind.